Chemoport Insertion by Interventional Radiology: Real-Life Experience in a Latin American Setting

Introduction Totally implantable venous access devices are essential for long-term chemotherapy, improving patients' quality of life. Despite advances in interventional radiology, catheter-related infections and thrombosis remain leading causes of premature device removal, particularly in resource-limited settings where procedural variability persists. This study reports real-world outcomes of an interventional radiology-guided chemoport program at a Colombian public hospital, exposing a standardized, safe implantation technique and situating results within international best practices to support evidence-based vascular access practices in oncology care. Methods A retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional observational study was conducted in a regional referral center located in the Orinoquia region of Colombia to characterize the complications associated with the insertion and use of PowerPort® Implanted Port System (Becton Dickinson, Franklin Lakes, NJ) for oncologic indications. Covering the period from January 1, 2023, to June 30, 2025. Our team collected the data retrospectively from electronic medical records, including demographic, clinical, and procedural variables such as age, sex, cancer type, procedure type (insertion or removal), port site, intraoperative events, and the cause of port removal when applicable. Complications were predefined by the authors before data extraction according to relevant literature: early (≤2 weeks) and late (>2 weeks) complications. Data were analyzed using RStudio (version 2024.12.1 + 563, Posit, Boston, MA). Results A total of 160 patients underwent a total of 170 procedures with the interventional radiology unit: 155 (91.17%) for chemoport insertion and 15 (8.82%) for device removal. Regarding the anatomical site of insertion, 134 (78.82%) chemoports were placed in the right internal jugular vein and 21 (14%) in the left internal jugular vein. As for complications, there were no early complications recorded during the study period, and only four cases of late complications were documented, which corresponded to two cases of thrombosis, one case of discomfort, and one case of vena cava occlusion. No other complications were documented. Conclusions Chemoport insertion using ultrasound-guided internal jugular access with fluoroscopic confirmation is the current preferred approach. The results from our study reinforce the safety and practicality of this type of procedure, which is simple to perform by interventional radiologists. The findings support ultrasound-guided, fluoroscopy-assisted chemoport insertion as a safe approach in a real-world hospital setting. Although we did not conduct a formal safety study, which may limit its comparability due to being based only on complication counts, this study gives valuable insight into its safety. Further research into this topic is needed to evaluate its efficacy in other types of patients who require long-term intravenous therapy.